A exhausted Usain Bolt and an emotionally worn out Justin Gatlin progressed towards their second blockbuster sprint showdown of the world championships by easing through the 200 metres heats yesterday.
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The remarkable Usain Bolt again relegated controversial American Justin Gatlin to the silver-medal position in the men’s 200m final at the world championships on Thursday night.
To go two golds clear of those legendary names and win his 10th World Championship gold in total would cement Bolt’s status as the greatest natural sprinter of all time.
Bolt is never far from the spotlight as the marquee name of athletics and he will be looking to tighten his stranglehold on sprinting’s major titles after pipping two-times doping offender Gatlin in the 100m final at the weekend.
“The race felt good”, said Gatlin, who had been unbeaten in 28 races stretching back two years to the Moscow world championships before being floored again by his nemesis Bolt.
The pair were neck and neck after 80m but Gatlin seemed to loose his balance as he approached the finish line leaving Bolt to savor yet another big-stage victory.
Gatlin was similarly confident in winning the subsequent heat, his time of 20.19sec marginally quicker than that of Bolt while the Jamaican’s British training partner Zharnel Hughes also ensured his safe passage to the next round winning his heat in 20.13sec.
And he has a powerful motivation to add to the gold he won in the event at the 2005 World Championships.
When the stadium announcers spoke of his record nine world titles, he held up as many fingers.
Galtin was second in a time of 19.74, while Anaso Jobodwana claimed the bronze in a South African record of 19.87, finishing 0.002 ahead of Alonso Edward. With this, it we can definitely say that this was surely not just a another game but a new frontier altogether. “I’m exhausted and my legs are still sore, but I’m going to have another bath tonight and hopefully tomorrow, I’ll be there”.
“It took me out pretty well”, Bolt said.
Bett gave Kenya its first gold medal in the 400m hurdles with a scorching finish to clock 47.79 seconds, the fastest time of the year and his own personal best.
Grinning broadly as he decelerated well before the line, Olympic champion Bolt had indulged in similar kidology in the 100m before smashing Gatlin’s hopes in the final. “I knew I was not in the shape for a world record”.
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The IAAF said it targeted Joyce Zakary, a 400-meter runner, and hurdler Koki Manunga for testing after competing in Beijing. ‘Just trying to get as much rest as possible and trying to get through these rounds.
